Virus outbreak: Singapore International Water Week, Asia Infrastructure Forum and Temasek's Ecosperity postponed

THE Singapore International Water Week (SIWW), a biennial showcase that has put Singapore on the world stage since 2008, on Friday became the latest casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The event, which had been set to run alongside the World Cities Summit and CleanEnviro Summit Singapore in July, has been pushed back to June 20 to 24 next year.

The co-located Asia Infrastructure Forum, as well as the Ecosperity Week 2020 presented by state investment firm Temasek, have also been rescheduled.

Ecosperity Week will take place in June 2021; Infrastructure Asia, a tie-up between government agency Enterprise Singapore and the Monetary Authority of Singapore, said that the new date for the Asia Infrastructure Forum "will be announced in due course".

The postponements come even as new social distancing guidelines from the Ministry of Health forbade all gatherings with 250 or more participants, from Friday until June 30.

This upcoming iteration of the SIWW had been expected to draw a similar number of attendees as in 2018; that year, the flagship event attracted some S$23 billion in business deals, as well as more than 24,000 participants and 1,100 participating companies.

Among other highlights, the event is known for the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, an award presented alongside a sister accolade, the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize.

"Singapore and countries worldwide have implemented various restrictions, including on travel and large-scale events," the organisers noted in a decision announced on Friday.

"We will continue to work with strategic partners, business leaders, governments and delegates around the world to discuss challenges, opportunities and share best practices for developing more resilient, sustainable and liveable cities."

The SIWW is organised by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) and national water agency PUB.

The World Cities Summit is put on by the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Centre for Liveable Cities - a joint MEWR and Ministry of National Development set-up - while the CleanEnviro Summit is organised by the National Environment Agency.

Meanwhile, Ecosperity Week, an annual sustainable growth-themed event, includes the flagship Ecosperity Conference, as well as the Singapore Sustainable Investing and Financing Conference.

"This decision has been made in line with local and global measures to limit the transmission of Covid-19," said organiser Temasek, also on Friday, citing moves such as border restrictions and the cap on gatherings with at least 250 attendees.